Alan W. Mills Ph.D.

Dr. Alan W. Mills is Director of Bands and Professor of Music at Colorado State University-Pueblo. His duties include conducting the Wind Ensemble, directing the University Band, directing the ThunderWolves Marching Band, overseeing the development of the concert band and athletic band programs, supervising student teachers, and teaching music education courses. Prior to joining CSU-Pueblo, he served as the Associate Director of Bands at Texas A&M University-Commerce, where his responsibilities included conducting the Symphonic Band, serving as director of the Pride Marching Band, and teaching courses in conducting, music education, music technology, and jazz history.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Mills has presented research lectures at state music education association conferences in Colorado and Wyoming, and additional scholarly writings can be found in the Journal of Band Research and in several editions of the popular textbook series Teaching Music Through Performance In Band. In 2013, he presented his dissertation on the life and career of James E. Croft, Director of Bands, Emeritus at The Florida State University, at the College Band Directors National Association National Convention at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has served as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator throughout Colorado and several other states, including a residency at the International Music Camp in North Dakota and Canada. He has performed as a guest conductor with the United States Air Force Academy Band and has conducted several world premier performances by composers such as Andrew Boysen, Jr., Johan de Meij, Edward Knight, Anthony O’Toole, and Adam Gorb.

Outside the United States, Dr. Mills has made regular visits to Asia for more than a dozen years. During the 2016-17 Academic year, he served a one-year residency in the Culture and Art Education Center of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, located in Chengdu. As a Visiting Adjunct Professor, his responsibilities including conducting the University Symphony Orchestra and teaching classes in Classical Western Music and Jazz History. He has also made regular visits to Singapore, which have included residencies in 2014, 2015, and 2017 where he has served as an adjudicator, clinician, and conductor, most notably with the Singapore Philharmonic Winds. While in residence in Singapore, he has completed tours to Malacca and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as a guest conductor and clinician. In January 2017, he completed a residency in Taiwan as a clinician for several public school and college wind ensembles. In May 2017, he was invited to visit Bangkok, Thailand, were he did numerous rehearsal clinics with public school bands and also with the notable Kasetsart University Wind Symphony. His work in China includes an excess of 100 rehearsal clinics and conducting master classes in the schools of Chengdu and Shenzhen, but most often in Beijing. He has conducted concerts at the Grand Theater in Bao Tou, and both the Beijing Concert Hall and The Forbidden City Concert Hall and has appeared as a guest conductor with the Beijing Wind Orchestra twice. His past university residencies in China include Ningxia University in Yinchuan and Sichuan College Conservatory of Music in Chengdu.

Founder of both the Colorado State University-Pueblo Festival of Winds and the Rocky Mountain Commissioning Project, Dr. Mills is a member of the College Band Directors National Association where he serves as the Colorado State Chair, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the National Association for Music Education, the National Band Association, and the Colorado Bandmasters Association. He is also an elected member of Pi Kappa Lambda, Phi Kappa Phi, and Phi Beta Mu, and has been granted honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Morris in instrumental music education with applied performance majors in piano and trumpet, the Master of Music Education degree from The University of Colorado, the Master of Music degree in wind conducting from the University of Arizona, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Music Education with an emphasis in wind conducting from The Florida State University. Dr. Mills recently returned to China in April and May 2018 where he engaged in five weeks of residencies in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Beijing.

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Mills’ scholarly writing has focused on the life and career of James E. Croft, Director of Bands, Emeritus at The Florida State University. He has presented research lectures at state music education association conferences in Colorado and Wyoming, and additional scholarly writings can be found in the Journal of Band Research and in the popular text book series Teaching Music Through Performance In Band. Mills has served as a clinician, guest conductor, and adjudicator throughout Colorado and several other states. He is also in demand internationally and makes regular trips to Asia where he serves as a clinician, guest conductor, adjudicator, and recording artistic director.  He has guest conducted the Beijing Wind Orchestra and has conducted concerts at the Forbidden City Concert Hall. His past residencies in China include Ningxia University in Yinchuan and Sichuan College Conservatory of Music in Chengdu. During the summer of 2011, he served a residency at the International Music Camp located in the International Peace Gardens in North Dakota. In 2013, he presented his dissertation at the College Band Directors National Association National Convention at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In December 2015, he will return to Singapore and Malaysia for a month-long residency where he will serve as an adjudicator, clinician, and guest conductor, followed by a residency at the Art Center of The University of Electronic Science and Technology of China located in Chengdu.

Dr. Mills is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the World Association for Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the National Association for Music Education, the Colorado Music Educators Association, and is currently serving as the 1st Vice President to the Colorado Bandmasters Association.  He is also an elected member of Pi Kappa Lambda and Phi Kappa Phi, and has been granted honorary membership in Kappa Kappa Psi & Tau Beta Sigma.  Mills is active as a clinician throughout the year and makes a concerted effort to honor invitations to visit music classrooms regularly.

Invited Presentations

Mills, Alan W. (March, 2013). The Life and Career of James Edwin Croft. Presentation at College Band Directors National Association National Conference at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Mills, Alan W. (February, 2006). Pitch Memory in Musicians: A Comparative Investigation Between Band and Choir Students. Presentation at the College Band Directors National Conference, Southern Division, Nashville, TN.

Mills, Alan W. (February, 2004). Identification of High Magnitude Band Performances: Audio Verses Audio & Visual. Presentation at the College Band Directors National Conference, Southern Division, Atlanta, GA.

McCarthy, K., & Mills, Alan W. (January, 2002). Membership in Fifth Grade Band and Performance on the A.C.T. Tests and Rank in Class in Later Years. Presentation at Wyoming Music Educators Association Conference Research Session, Cheyenne, WY.

McCarthy, K., & Mills, Alan W. (January, 2002). Membership in Fifth Grade Band and Performance on the A.C.T. Tests and Rank in Class in Later Years. Presentation at Colorado Music Educators Association Conference Research Session, Colorado Springs, CO.

New Music Commissions and Premieres

Pike's Peak. Adam Gorb. Consortium Head. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 10th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 24 February 2018.

Elegy. Adam Gorb. Revised version. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 10th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 24 February 2018.

Pastorale. Anthony O’Toole. Consortium Head. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 8th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 27 February 2016.

Rumble. Edward Knight. World Premier performance by the Central Oklahoma Directors Association Symphonic High School Honor Band, OK, 9 January 2016.
Heart Music. Andrew Boysen, Jr. Consortium Head. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 7th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 7 February 2015.

Heart Music. Andrew Boysen, Jr. Consortium Head. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 7th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 7 February 2015.

Downtown Divertimento. Johan de Meij. Consortium Head. World Premier performance by the CSU-Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 6th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 8 February 2014.

Temple of the Murals. Brian Balmages. Consortium Member. Colorado Premier performance by the CSU- Pueblo Wind Ensemble during the 4th Annual CSU-Pueblo Festival of Winds, 2 February 2011.